1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to network powering systems and methods and, more particularly, to a physical layer device auto-adjustment based on power over Ethernet magnetic heating.
2. Introduction
Power over Ethernet (PoE) provides a framework for delivery of power from power sourcing equipment (PSE) to a powered device (PD) over Ethernet cabling. Various types of PDs exist, including voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless LAN access points, Bluetooth access points, network cameras, computing devices, etc.
In a PoE application such as that described in the IEEE 802.3af (which is now part of the IEEE 802.3 revision and its amendments) and 802.3at specifications, a PSE can deliver power to a PD over multiple wire pairs. In accordance with IEEE 802.3af, a PSE can deliver up to 15.4 W of power to a single PD over two wire pairs. In accordance with IEEE 802.3at, on the other hand, a PSE may be able to deliver up to 30 W of power to a single PD over two wire pairs. Other proprietary solutions can potentially deliver higher or different levels of power to a PD. A PSE may also be configured to deliver power to a PD using four wire pairs.